Each year more than 2,500 people die and 12,600 are injured in home fires in the United States, with direct property loss due to home fires estimated at $7.3 billion annually. Home fires can be prevented!

To protect yourself, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of fire. Fire spreads quickly; there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames.

Heat and smoke from fire can be more dangerous than the flames. Inhaling the super-hot air can sear your lungs. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy.

WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC

The Station nightclub fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in American history, killing 100 people. A fast-moving fire engulfed the club in 5½ minutes. The first fire truck arrived in 5 minutes, and on average it takes 7 ½ minutes for the first responder to arrive.

Instead
of being awakened by a fire, you may fall into a deeper sleep.
Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a
three-to-one ratio.

Every day Americans experience the horror of fire but most people don't understand fire.

Fire is FAST!There is little time! In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill a house or for it to be engulfed in flames. Most deadly fires occur in the home when people are asleep. If you wake up to a fire, you won't have time to grab valuables because fire spreads too quickly and the smoke is too thick. There is only time to escape.

(The simulation predicts evacuation through available doors and windows. A number of people perish in this simulation due to the rapidly developing fire. The color coding of the people indicates the response time band for the occupants. The people colored red reacted most rapidly, they are on the dance floor. The color of the floor is an indication of the smoke concentration at head height. The darker the color, the thicker the smoke at head height. Finally, the body markings on the floor represents where we predict a fatality occurred). are you prepared?

Fire is HOT!Heat is more threatening than flames. A fire's heat alone can kill. Room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. Inhaling this super-hot air will scorch your lungs. This heat can melt clothes to your skin. In five minutes, a room can get so hot that everything in it ignites at once: this is called flashover. Fire is DARK!Fire isn't bright, it's pitch black. Fire starts bright, but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness. If you wake up to a fire you may be blinded, disoriented and unable to find your way around the home you've lived in for years.

Fire is DEADLY!Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire uses up the oxygen you need and produces smoke and poisonous gases that kill. Breathing even small amounts of smoke and toxic gases can make you drowsy, disoriented and short of breath. The odorless, colorless fumes can lull you into a deep sleep before the flames reach your door. You may not wake up in time to escape.

Only when we know the true nature of fire can we prepare our families and ourselves.